Elizabeth's San Antonio Sleuthing

by Renae Brumbaugh

  “Yeah,” Alex laughed. “A bug. But ‘thing-a-ma-jigger’ is so much more fun to say.”

  Everyone laughed, and Bailey spoke up. “How far away can you be, and still hear a conversation through the bug?”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem,” said Kate. “There are plenty of hiding places.”

  “But where will you plant the bug?” asked McKenzie. “Those men sound scary. I don’t want you to do anything dangerous.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Elizabeth assured her. “There are several boarding areas for the boats, and they’re often left unmanned when the boat is on a tour. We can probably put a bug on the fence railing at one of those areas.”

  “Yeah, and then we can hang out at one of the nearby restaurants eating chips and salsa until something happens,” Kate said.

  The other girls laughed. “Always thinking about food,” said Sydney.

  “Hey, if we’re going to sit and wait, we might as well do something constructive,” Kate retorted.

  The girls laughed, and Elizabeth spoke up again. “Our biggest problem is that the two men know who we are. Kate dropped a business card, and one of them picked it up. Now they know we’re sleuths.”

  Alex said, “Hey, maybe you could use that to your advantage. They know you are just kids, and they probably won’t expect much of you. I remember an episode of Hawaii Five-O where McGarrett went undercover as a convict, and made it look like the police were after him. Maybe you can pretend to focus in on someone else as the guilty party, and the men will leave you alone.”

  “Hey, that might work,” said Kate. “We could ask Joe to be our undercover guy, and act guilty….”

  Alex laughed. “Joe, huh? Well, that would be appropriate.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Elizabeth.

  “The episode I’m thinking of was titled, ‘The Ways of Love.’ “

  Everyone laughed, and Elizabeth said, “I’m never speaking to any of you again. For five whole minutes, anyway. Good-bye.” She clicked her phone shut and pulled the pillow over her head again. The other girls recognized the teasing in Elizabeth’s voice and laughed.

  Kate finally hung up. “Hey, you’re not really mad, are you?” she asked.

  “No,” Elizabeth said. “But I’m not googly-eyed, and I didn’t swoon.”

  Kate ignored her friend’s last comment, and instead opened up her laptop. “Now, to update my blog,” she said.

  Elizabeth watched her log into her stats page. Sure enough, comments waited. Clicking on the first of two, she read, “Back off. You’re in over your head!”

  The next read, “You leave us alone, and we’ll leave your little dog alone.”

  The two girls stared at the screen.

  “Elizabeth, those guys are serious. They threatened Biscuit! What are we going to do?”

  Elizabeth stared at the screen, forming a silent prayer. Water balloons and rubber snakes were one thing. Threatening Biscuit was an entirely different matter. What should we do, Lord?

  A Bible verse popped into her head, one of the first verses she had learned as a small child. She had actually learned it as a song. Elizabeth took a deep breath and began singing the words to Psalm 56:3. “When I am afraid, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You. When I am afraid I will trust in You, when I am afraid.”

  Kate leaned back on the bed and looked at the ceiling. “I know we’re supposed to trust God in all things. But I also think we’re supposed to use wisdom. I don’t want to do anything to put Biscuit in danger and just assume God will rescue him.”

  Elizabeth reread the words on the screen. After a moment, she said, “You’re right. We need to be careful, and use wisdom. But we won’t let those men ruin our good time. We’ll just be extra careful, keep Biscuit close, and trust God to show us what to do.”

  “Do you think we should let an adult know what’s going on?” Kate asked.

  Elizabeth leaned back on her elbows. “Probably. And I think I know exactly who to tell….”

  Later that evening, Elizabeth and Kate leaned on the counter in the hotel lobby, waiting for Uncle Dan to finish with a customer. He handed the woman a key and said, “Enjoy your stay.”

  As soon as the woman was out of earshot, he wheeled his chair back to the girls, and said, “Okay, I’m all ears. Tell me again how you got mixed up in all of this.”

  Elizabeth and Kate took turns filling him in on the details. “At first, I thought Joe and his friends were probably behind the problems with the boats, but I don’t think that anymore,” Elizabeth told her uncle.

  Uncle Dan looked out the glass doors toward the Riverwalk. A Santa Anna boat was puttering by. “Ever since Santa Anna Tours opened for business, River City Cruises has had problems. They’ve been in business here for decades, and have a spotless record for safety and customer satisfaction. I’ve wondered about Santa Anna all along.”

  The girls waited and listened. During Uncle Dan’s time in the military, he had worked for military intelligence. If anyone knew how to find clues and solve a mystery, it was him.

  Uncle Dan leaned back in his chair and looked at them. “I want you girls to lay low until I’ve had a chance to think about this. Stay close to the hotel tonight, and keep a close watch on Biscuit. Let’s all sleep on it, and we’ll talk more tomorrow. I think we may be able to catch these guys, once and for all.”

  The girls agreed, and left Uncle Dan to his work. Holding Biscuit tightly, Kate said, “Let’s go find something to eat.”

  Just as they turned to leave, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson walked into the lobby, James tagging behind them. “There you are!” said Mrs. Anderson. “We’ve hardly seen you girls today. Are you hungry?”

  The girls nodded. Biscuit jumped out of Kate’s arms and began playing with James.

  “Why don’t you all go ahead and reserve us a table at the café next door. I just need to do something to my hair, and freshen my lipstick,” Mrs. Anderson told them.

  “You look beautiful, sweetheart,” Mr. Anderson told her, and the woman smiled sweetly at her husband.

  “Thank you, darling,” she said, “but I don’t feel beautiful. I’ll be right behind you.” The woman headed for the elevators, and Mr. Anderson shook his head. “Women. I’ll never understand them.”

  The group headed out the lobby doors and found a table at the nearby café. The waitress smiled at Biscuit as she placed their chips and salsa on the table. Suddenly, the little dog barked and leaped from Kate’s lap.

  “Biscuit!” the girls called out, but it was too late. Biscuit was in hot pursuit of…someone.

  The girls and James chased the little dog through the outdoor restaurant, dodging tables and customers, working hard to keep the little dog in sight. Finally, they spotted Biscuit ahead, sitting sweetly and licking a little girl’s hand.

  Elizabeth gasped when she saw who it was. The little girl from Bible Camp this morning!

  “Hi!” Elizabeth said, kneeling next to the girl. “Do you remember me? We met this morning.”

  The girl buried her face in her mother’s skirt.

  “I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said to the woman. “I didn’t mean to frighten her.”

  “It’s okay,” the woman told her. “Annie is very shy. She loves animals, but people make her nervous. You must be from the Bible camp she attended this morning.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m Elizabeth, and this is Kate and James. And this”—she gestured to the dog still looking up at Annie and wagging his tail—”is Biscuit.”

  “We hope she’ll come back tomorrow,” said Kate with a smile. “Same time, same place.”

  The woman looked sadly at her daughter. “I don’t know,” she said. “Some children can be so cruel.”

  Elizabeth and Kate looked at each other, confused. Why would anyone be cruel to such a sweet little girl?

  The Bible Camp Band

  Mr. Anderson approached the group. “Everything okay, Elizabeth?” he asked.

  “Oh. Hi, Dad. Ye
s. This little girl was in our Bible camp this morning, and I guess Biscuit recognized her. He seems to like her!” Elizabeth smiled at the little girl, who was peering through her curls.

  “Dan Anderson.” Elizabeth’s dad held his hand out to the woman.

  “Teresa Lopez,” the woman replied, returning his handshake. “And this is Annie.” She gestured to her daughter, who was now squatting, rubbing Biscuit behind the ears. James knelt, too, and spoke softly to the dog and the girl.

  Annie turned her head to the side, and for just a moment, her thick curls fell away from her face to reveal a large red birthmark. It covered the entire left side of her face. James didn’t seem to notice, but smiled and looked directly into the girl’s eyes. “Biscuit really likes you. He likes me, too. He’ll be at Bible Camp tomorrow. Are you coming?”

  In that moment, Elizabeth wanted to pick her little brother up and hug him.

  He is such a great kid! she thought. Lord, I take back every bad thought I’ve ever had about my little brother. He is the best little guy in the world!

  Annie’s mother noticed, too, and looked at Mr. Anderson. “What a nice boy you have,” she whispered. “Annie’s birthmark is called a strawberry hemangioma, and many of the children make fun of her. At home, she’s outgoing and playful. Unfortunately, she has learned to be afraid of people she doesn’t know.”

  Mr. Anderson nodded. “She’s a beautiful little girl, even with the birthmark. Is it possible to have it removed?”

  The woman looked close to tears. “Yes, it is possible, but not probable. It’s an expensive operation, and I don’t have medical insurance. I’m afraid Annie will have to live with her birthmark. At least until she’s older.”

  Mr. Anderson smiled compassionately. Looking at the girls and James, he said, “We’d better head back to the café. Your mother will wonder where we are.”

  Elizabeth knelt and whispered to Annie, “I hope you’ll come back tomorrow. I was lonely after you left today.”

  Annie looked into Elizabeth’s eyes for just a moment. A smile crossed her face, but was gone in an instant.

  “I’ll bring her,” said Mrs. Lopez, “but I can’t promise she’ll stay.”

  Elizabeth, her brother and father, and Kate went back to their table, where they found Mrs. Anderson munching tortilla chips.

  “There you are!” she said. “I knew this was your table, because I saw Kate’s backpack, so I sat down and started eating. I knew you’d be back. But then, I started wondering what would happen if someone else had a backpack like Kate’s, and I was sitting here eating some stranger’s chips.”

  “I see it didn’t stop you.” Her husband laughed.

  “Well, I thought about leaving the chips alone until I knew for sure, but I was too hungry. Where did y’all go?” she asked.

  They took turns telling about Biscuit and the little girl, and Mrs. Anderson listened intently. Finally, she said, “I have a cousin who had something like that. Her mother told her it was where an angel kissed her, and she seemed to accept that when she was very young. But as she got older, she became more self-conscious. Some children made fun of her, and made her life miserable.”

  “Did she ever get it fixed?” Elizabeth asked her mother.

  “Yes. There was some organization…. I can’t think of the name right now. But a charitable group helped finance surgeries like that for children. Perhaps you could do research on it, girls. I know how you like to chase down mysteries and such,” she said.

  The girls looked at each other, but said nothing. This was just one of the mysteries they were facing. And quite frankly, the other mystery had them a little nervous.

  Morning came a little too early for the girls. They had stayed up late talking and doing Internet research. They’d wanted to update Kate’s blog, but decided against it. “It’s probably better if they think we haven’t checked the blog in a few days. Let them think we don’t know anything about their threats,” Elizabeth had suggested, and Kate grudgingly agreed.

  But in spite of their tiredness, the girls and Biscuit were at the appointed place at a quarter to eight, ready to help with Bible Camp. Mrs. Anderson agreed to drop James off at eight o’clock.

  “Elizabeth! Glad you’re here. Could you lead the kids in songs again?” Gary asked her.

  Elizabeth eyed the keyboard set up to one side of the steps. “May I use the keyboard?” she asked.

  Gary looked hesitant. “It’s borrowed, and I promised the owner I’d take good care of it….”

  Kate stepped forward. “Gary, you don’t have anything to worry about. When it comes to keyboards, Elizabeth knows her stuff.”

  Gary lifted his eyebrows then grinned. Moving his arm in a grand, sweeping gesture, he said, “In that case, be my guest.”

  Elizabeth smiled and moved to the keyboard. She hadn’t played one for several days, and she missed the feeling of her fingers on the piano keys. She adjusted the volume then played through a few scales. Finally, she began playing the tune of one of the songs she’d taught the children the day before.

  For a few moments, she became absorbed in the keyboard. She pressed a few buttons, and before long, she had added drum rhythms, bells, and even a comical whistling sound. People stopped what they were doing and gathered to listen to her music.

  Elizabeth was surprised when she looked up and realized she had an audience. Normally she was self-conscious when she played in front of people. But this was such a relaxed atmosphere, it didn’t feel like a recital or a concert. She smiled and spoke into the microphone Gary had placed in front of her.

  “Good morning everyone, and welcome to Bible Camp! Do you remember the song I taught you yesterday? Sing it with me now!”

  The children gathered at the church steps began singing loudly, and the teenagers and adults joined in. This continued for several songs until Elizabeth looked up and saw Joe smiling at her from the back of the crowd. She immediately missed a note and forgot the words. She finished the song as gracefully as possible, then handed the microphone to Gary and moved to the side of the crowd.

  “Thank you, Elizabeth,” Gary said. “Isn’t she great? Let’s all give her a hand!”

  The crowd erupted in applause, and Elizabeth turned beet red. Then, she felt someone crowding against her leg. She looked down to see a mop of familiar curls. Forgetting herself, she hugged the little girl. “Annie! You came!”

  The girl smiled shyly and took hold of her hand. Biscuit appeared at the girl’s feet, wagging his tail. Annie reached down and petted him gently.

  When Gary dismissed the crowd to go to their sessions, Elizabeth took Annie into the church and sat down. The children were still getting settled in their seats when Elizabeth heard a voice behind her.

  “Are you some teen prodigy or something?”

  Elizabeth turned to look at Joe, trying not to blush. “No, I just like music. I’m usually nervous in front of people, but this was just a bunch of little kids. I didn’t feel as nervous as I usually do.”

  “I play the guitar a little, but not as well as you play the piano. Still, we should get together and jam sometime,” he said.

  The Bible story teacher called the group to attention, and Elizabeth faced the front. He wants to jam with me? Oh, Lord, what do I tell him? I wish he would leave me alone. Actually, I don’t want him to leave me alone. What in the world is going on here, Lord?

  Her thoughts swirled, and she didn’t catch a word of the Bible story. Oh my goodness, Kate is right. I am swooning. I’ve never swooned over a boy. What is getting into me? She was painfully aware of Joe’s presence right behind

  her. Lord, help me to know how to act. I don’t even know if he’s a Christian! And I’m only fourteen.

  The rest of the morning flew by. Joe, Maria, and Pedro jumped in to help where they could, and they seemed to really listen to the Bible stories and verses. Annie relaxed some and even talked to James as they worked together on a craft.

  When it was time to clean up, Gary called
Elizabeth to the front. “Why don’t you play the keyboard for us while we work. I’ll put this sign advertising our camp next to you, and as people walk by, maybe they’ll notice and send their kids tomorrow. Here, I’ll put up this sign for our mime show this evening, too.”

  Elizabeth agreed, and for the first time noticed the symbol at the bottom of the sign. “Gary, what is that?” she pointed.

  “Oh, that’s the symbol for the Kiwanis Club. They own the Fiesta Noche del Rio, the outdoor theater where we are performing each night. They like for their symbol to be on everything that advertises the theater. It helps with donations.”

  “Donations?” she asked.

  “Yeah, they’re a charity,” Gary said, then called out some instructions to a couple of teenagers who were cleaning up.

  Elizabeth turned and began playing the keyboard. She noticed Joe and Pedro talking to Gary and pointing to a guitar case. Gary smiled, nodded, and then knelt to openthe case. The two of them approached the soundboard behind Elizabeth, and she tried to ignore them. People passing stopped and read the signs. Many of them stood for a few minutes, enjoying her upbeat music. The teenagers and some of the children sang along as they worked.

  After a few moments, Elizabeth heard a bass guitar coming from behind her. Turning her head just a little, she saw it was Joe. A rhythmic clicking noise from the other side of her was Pedro. A drummer? He had two pencils, and was clicking away on the stair railing. It sounded good.

  The three of them continued playing for a half hour. Surprisingly, Elizabeth didn’t feel self-conscious. She got caught up in the music and just enjoyed herself.

  Finally, they wrapped up their little concert and received light applause from the people gathered around. Unplugging the keyboard, she heard Pedro say, “That was so cool! We need a keyboardist for our band, Elizabeth. Too bad you don’t live here.”

  “You have a band?” she asked, and Joe laughed.

  “We want to have a band. So far it’s just me with my borrowed guitar and Pedro with his pencils. We’re both in the band at school, but we use the school’s instruments. During the summer, we have trouble finding good instruments to play.”